There are many environmental problems that we, as inhabitants of this planet,
have to be concerned about. The most important problem that will have to be
dealt with is the potentially dangerous Global Warming. Global Warming is a
phenomenon that is responsible for the gradual increase in the average
temperature of the planet earth and unless we change our ways of energy
consumption and creation, Global warming will cause many problems in the future.

Most people confuse Global Warming with the
greenhouse effect, but global warming is an intensification of the natural
trapping of heat on the planet. This natural heat trapping is referred to as the
greenhouse effect, which is an invisible blanket that keeps the earth at a
livable temperature. Furthermore, the earth would be a frigid, uninhabitable
planet without the greenhouse effect. For comparison, the glass in a greenhouse
is similar to our atmosphere in that it allows solar radiation in and does not
allow too much out. As the sun’s energy gets to the earth’s surface, some of it
bounces out into space and some is absorbed by greenhouse gases such as water
vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide and reflected back to earth to
keep the planet warm. Knowing the difference between global warming and the
greenhouse effect, and how it works, will raise awareness of this potentially
dangerous situation.

There are many causes of global warming, such
as clearing of forests and burning of fossil fuels. For example, with the
increase of fossil fuel burning, which contains greenhouse gases, there is a
risk of the intensification of the greenhouse affect or global warming. “As
early as 1896 scientists suggested that burning fossil fuels might change the
composition of the atmosphere and that an increase in global average temperature
might result. The first part of this hypothesis was confirmed in 1957 when their
instruments indicated that carbon dioxide concentration was indeed rising”
(Global Warming, Encarta). Providing more evidence, “Ice core samples from
Greenland and Antarctica provide
information about the earth’s climate for the last 160,000 years. The ice core
samples show that the average global temperature has closely reflected the
carbon dioxide concentration, supporting the theory of Global Warming (Global
Warming, Chris’ Homepage). Levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and other
greenhouse gasses have been increasing over the decades and things have been
done to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. In
the late nineties, delegates from many countries met in Kyoto, Japan to talk about ways
to reduce worldwide emissions, but with the election of a new president and
administration, this situation was put at the low end of the United States’
priorities. Furthermore, the causes are mainly human related, so humans are the
ones responsible for reversing the effects of global warming.

There are many consequences of global
warming, such as weather patterns will be less predictable, in the mountains,
snowlines will be higher, there will be a rise in sea level, and the earth will
be more humid due to more water evaporating from the oceans. For example,
because of a warmer and more humid climate, storms like hurricanes,
thunderstorms, and tornadoes could become more intense and more frequent. To
explain, global warming will have an impact, because warm, humid air is the fuel
for these storms and with more fuel, you have more storms. Another example of
probable consequences is that there will be a rise in sea level. “The most
obvious connection, the melting of glaciers is important, but not the most
significant. Far more significant is that a warmer atmosphere causes an increase
in ocean volume due to thermal expansion. Higher air temperatures warm the upper
layers of the ocean, which in turn causes the water to expand and the sea level
to rise” (Lutgens, Tarbuck 385). If people are aware of the possible
consequences of global warming, perhaps the significance of the situation will
be taken more seriously.

In the future global warming will become a
problem if the inhabitants of this planet do not do something to slow it down.
The Kyoto Protocol was a good start, but we need to do more. Other forms of
energy like wind and solar energy need to be used more often so that we can stop
the harmful burning of fossil fuels, which contribute to the global warming
problem.